This week’s White House Report Card finds the fight between President Trump and congressional Democrats over a funding request for border security at the petty level.
Democratic pollster John Zogby gave Trump a failing grade for not ending the government shutdown over the wall. But national security analyst Jed Babbin gave Trump the win for the week in his wall battle with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Jed Babbin
Grade B
As the partial government shutdown lingered on, President Trump traded political shots with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calls were made for some federal workers to come back without being paid, and Trump’s threats to shut down Turkey’s economy if Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered attacks against our Kurdish allies paid off.
The Democrats are starting to feel the heat from the partial government shutdown. They’re very afraid that Trump will use his upcoming State of the Union Address to gain enormous momentum by talking about the need for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and recounting the they’re refusal to even negotiate. Pelosi’s letter to Trump proposed that the SOTU speech be postponed until after the government reopens.
Trump’s response was to cancel — at the last moment — a congressional junket to Brussels, Afghanistan, and Egypt. Lawmakers were already on the Air Force bus when Trump told Pelosi — by letter — that the trip was “rescheduled” until after the shutdown ends. His letter said that it would be better if she stayed in Washington to negotiate a solution to the shutdown.
Both Pelosi’s SOTU gambit and Trump’s cancellation of her trip were cheap shots, but Trump won that round. Pelosi won’t budge, and neither will Trump. Both can’t afford to lose, but one or the other will. If the shutdown isn’t solved by the SOTU speech, it’ll be the most high-stakes speech in a long time.
Many people are saying that the Mainstream Media will have a very hard time restoring credibility because of the way they have treated me over the past 3 years (including the election lead-up), as highlighted by the disgraceful Buzzfeed story & the even more disgraceful coverage!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019
Trump had a conversation with Erdogan on Monday, reiterating his threat to devastate Turkey’s economy if Erdogan ordered any attacks on the Kurds. Trump suggested a 20-mile “safe zone” for the Kurds on Turkey’s southern border in Syria. Erdogan had rejected the idea, but after Trump’s threat, Erdogan caved in nicely. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Trump won that round, too.
The effects of the shutdown continue to spread. TSA employees are increasingly calling in sick, which will slow air travel. Trump called on some IRS and State Department people to come back to work without pay. Making people work without pay is an idea we rejected about 150 years ago (1861-1865). The concept hasn’t improved since then.
John Zogby
Grade F
The president was elected to manage the government. He has shut much of it down. He was also elected to legislate his agenda. He refuses to compromise. His oath to the Constitution includes to promote the general welfare, and tens of thousands of his own employees are not being paid. He is simply failing this week.
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is We are Many, We are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America.Follow him on Twitter @TheJohnZogby
